Seal Rocks

Here's part 4 of the Seal Rocks series. My thanks to those who've written to me about it; I hope it isn't too awful.

Seal Rocks Part 4

On the bluff above Jesse and Mike, as they relaxed into each other, Ernie Denton moved quietly. He had stayed in the shade of the thick brush, along with his digital video camera and its zoom lens, at an angle to the small inset to the cliffs that the boys lay in - the better to get a good view. Turn it off for now, save the batteries for later, he thought. They might do more later on. Damn have I got a jackpot. He felt his cock stiff inside his shorts, and rubbed it as he sat back down near the camera. What the hell, he thought as he opened his shorts and pulled out his erection. They shouldn't have all the fun.

"Now?" Mike giggled at the question. "Now?? Like we just changed into pansies or something?"

"I mean it," Jesse said. "This doesn't change you - what we just did?"

"Sure, it does, sort of," Mike answered. His gaze became distant for a moment as he thought. "I mean what we did and all - it's different from what we ever did before. But it's not like we're any different. You're still Jes."

"Yeah, but we like - we fucked, Mike. Guys don't do that."

"Yeah, we did. Does it really bother you?" Mike looked confused, and concerned.

"No, I - I loved doing it. I wanna do it again, like right now," Jesse added, grinning sheepishly. "But it like changes everything - what we are, who we are, with us, y'know. Everything." He frowned a bit, then looked back at Mike. "It's kinda scary."

Mike nodded. "I know," he said softly. "I'm scared whenever I think about it when I'm alone, or with my family or other guys. But when I'm here -" he reached out and caressed Jesse's chest; Jesse shuddered slightly and sighed - "I'm not scared at all. It's like none of that other shit matters. I spent two weeks thinking about it really hard, and I realized none of the other shit matters." Mike raised himself on an elbow, his hand still rubbing Jesse. "Did you mean it?"

"What?"

Mike smiled, looked away a little. "You know. What you said."

Jesse hesitated. "I - yeah I meant it. But like I'm not sure what it means." Mike looked crestfallen. "No, no, look It's like we've been buds for so long, of course I - I love you," Jesse quickly added. "How could I not? But this - this is, I dunno, new, and - and I don't know what it's gonna do and all. Do you?"

Mike shook his head. "No idea. Just tell me," he said, and rolled against Jesse and kissed him, pressing their bodies together until both their cocks hardened (which took only seconds), "what d'you feel now?"

Jesse was breathing hard and shallow. "That I want you to keep going," he said with a soft smile. Mike was right: everything was OK when they were together. Nothing else mattered. They moved back into an embrace and slowly humped against each other, stopping only when both were spent.

Ernie watched, stroking himself, until he came more or less at the same time as the boys, biting his lip to keep from making a sound that might alert them to his presence. Once he caught his breath, he wiped his hand on his shorts and buttoned up. This is going to be really really good if I do it right.

The sun was coming out now in earnest, and Mike sat up. "You need lotion on, dude."

"I already got it on."

"I mean on your ass and all - your cock."

"Oh, right, Jesse started laughing. "Damn, dude, you're gonna wear me out here!"

Mike laughed too, and sat up. Jesse looked at the faint whitish dusting of dried semen spread erratically over Mike's face and body. He had never seen anything more erotic. He smiled and watched dreamily as Mike retrieved the lotion from the seat of his beach chair, where it had been placed at the start of their lovemaking. "C'mon dude," gesturing him to stand, "let's get you done up."

Jesse stood obediently, his legs a bit shaky. There was a dull ache inside his perineum, as if he'd exercised some arcane muscle too hard. Mike was smiling at him. "You're a wreck, dude," he laughed. "You got dried come all over you, like flour or something."

"So do you," Jesse answered, running his hand down Mike's chest lightly, not wanting to wipe any of it off.

Mike looked down at himself. "Coolness," he murmured. "Maybe we should like never shower again or something."

Jesse scrunched up his face. "That's kinda extreme though."

"Yeah, I guess. It sounds cool right now though - sexy and all." Jesse nodded agreement as Mike squirted some lotion onto his hand. He reached out and rubbed it into Jesse's lower belly, into his pubic hair, on his cock. Jesse felt himself thickening immediately, and groaned, "Oh shit, you'll kill me."

Mike laughed. "What a way to go." He turned Jesse around and applied more lotion to his buttocks. When his fingers rubbed into his crack, Jesse shuddered a bit. "Lotion cold?" Mike asked.

"No - no, it's just - " Jesse hesitated to tell him "It felt good, when you touched me, there."

"Really?" Jesse nodded, embarrassed. "Cool," Mike said, smiling softly, and handed him the lotion. "Your turn."

Jesse wanted to fondle Mike all day, to caress him back to rigid life, to make him shudder and cry out like he had before. But he controlled himself - at first, anyway - and simply applied lotion to Mike's loins. When he did Mike's cock, though, he lingered, and felt Mike growing heavier in his hand. "Mmmmm," Mike murmured, and he kept rubbing. When Mike was fairly hard, he stepped slowly away, turning around. "In a little while, OK?"

"OK," Jesse said. He looked down at his own cock, half hard and glistening at its head already. "In a little while."

He began rubbing lotion into Mike's butt, feeling how strong the bubbled cheeks were. He squirted some onto the top of his crack, and rubbed in downward. As his fingers passed over Mike's anus, he felt a jerky reaction. "You OK?"

"Yeah," Mike answered. "That felt - I dunno - weird. Did it feel weird to you when I did it?"

"Sort of," Jesse answered. "Weird and - and kind of good." He stopped rubbing, letting his hand lie comfortable against Mike's hip.

Mike smiled crookedly. "Turn around, let's see how good."

Jesse's face burned bright red, but he complied. Mike took the lotion bottle again, squeezed some into Jesse's crack, and started to massage. He quickly focused his touch around Jesse's anus, pressing and rubbing. Jesse felt his hips move in time with the touch. Mike began to press his index finger against him. "Should I try?"

Jesse took a deep breath, and nodded. "OK - go slow though."

"Sure," Mike said, moving up close behind Jesse, his other hand lightly holding him by the hip. He bent the end on his index finger and pressed in. As he penetrated the first bit of opening, Jesse moved away from him a bit. "`S OK, Jes," Mike whispered, "I'll be careful."

Jesse nodded, his entire body tense despite Mike's assurance. Mike pushed further, and now Jesse found his butt moving slowly backwards onto the intrusion, his body bending forward slightly at the waist. He swallowed hard as he felt Mike's finger break through the inner edge of the hard ring of muscle. Mike pressed further in. "OK?"

"Yeah, OK," Jesse grunted. To tell the truth, it felt strange. It didn't hurt, exactly - Mike had too much lotion on his finger for that - but it was odd, having something up in him there. "What do you think?" as he turned his head to look back.

Mike looked up and shrugged. "Dunno. It's tight around me where I go in, but soft further in. It's really warm." He slowly pulled out his finger, not noticing Jesse's slight shudder. "It's not dirty or anything, looks like."

"Good. Do that again, I think that felt good." He was right - when Mike moved his finger in and out, it did feel good, against the insides. Mike began probing around as he moved his finger, and found one spot that made Jesse grunt loudly. "You OK?"

"Yeah, sorry. That was something right there."

"What?"

"Like - like you pressed something that made my cock go." He looked down, saw his erection trembling in front of him. "Like it connected."

Mike laughed a little. "Well, we are sort of connected right now."

"Nice. Thanks a lot, asshole."

"Ssshhhh. You're the one with the asshole right now," Mike giggled, and resumed his probings.

Jesse felt fluid begin to leak out of his cock, as if it were being forced out. "Damn, it's like you're milking me, I'm leaking so much."

"Really?" Mike slid his left hand around to hold Jesse's erection. Jesse inhaled sharply. "Wow, that's cool. Let's see." Mike probed some more, stroking him slowly as he did so, and more fluid leaked out as Jesse sighed deeply and leaned his butt further back towards Mike. "You're all slicked up."

"That feels really good - you stroking me like that."

Mike grunted an acknowledgment, then pulled his finger out. When Jesse started to turn and object, he shushed, "Wait. Let's try some more." A second later, Jesse felt Mike press his middle finger, along with the index finger, into him. This time it hurt a bit, but he let it go, curious to see how it would feel.

Within a few seconds, Mike was probing at him again, making him leak more and grow even harder. "Shit dude, you got me all hot again."

"I know. Me too." Mike began moving his fingers more aggressively, pumping in and out of him in time with his stroking. Jesse started whimpering a little. "Jes?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna try it?"

Jesse wasn't sure how to answer. He felt amazingly good, but strange, and he was certain that it must be gross to have part of your body stuck up someone else's ass. He was frightened, embarrassed, desirous. "Do you?"

Mike nodded - he could feel his head moving, the hair brushing against the back of his neck. "Yeah." His lips brushed his shoulder. "Yeah I do, if it's OK."

Jesse took a long moment before silently nodding and pressing his butt back a bit further towards Mike. He felt Mike's erection press against his left buttock, felt it hard and wet at the tip on his skin. He suddenly had a yearning to have it inside him. "Yeah, let's do it."

Mike pulled his fingers out. Jesse heard him squirt more lotion out of the tube. He turned his head to see Mike covering his cock with it, then daubing the remainder onto Jesse. Mike's left hand, which had been in him, didn't look dirty or anything, which relieved Jesse. Mike took him by the hips and began probing with his cock, bending at the knees to try for an angle. It didn't work. "Maybe you should get down on the towel, Jes," he suggested gently. "I'm not sure how to do this."

Jesse laughed despite his fear. "Great, a rookie. Just what I need."

Mike laughed as well and pushed him forward. Jesse half fell onto the towels on his hand and knees, opening his legs some. He looked back at Mike. "C'mere."

Mike knelt down next to him, and they kissed for a long couple of minutes, stroking each other's bodies all over. They continued their kiss as Mike slowly moved, still on his knees, around and behind Jesse, until the angle became too severe and they had to break apart. Mike held Jesse by the left hip and guided himself towards Jesse's ass with his right hand holding his cock. Jesse felt it push against his crack and slide first down, too far, then up beyond its target. He dropped his head and shoulders. Mike was pressing against his hole now, but he slipped away again. Jesse reached behind, under his own balls, and took hold of him, helping him aim.

The next thrust did it. Mike's head pushed a short way into the tight ring of muscle at Jesse's opening. Jesse gasped loudly, and Mike froze. "You OK?"

"Yeah," Jesse said in a tight voice. "That - that's a lot bigger than your fingers."

"Should I stop?"

Jesse shook his head. " `S OK. I just have to, um, to get used to it and all." He pushed back against Mike's cock, conscious as never before of how hard it really was - like a log pushing into him. "Damn."

Mike was breathing hard as well. "This is incredible, Jes," he whispered. "So tight and hot and - and smooth and . . ." He pushed forward a bit more, and Jesse stiffened against the white pain that shot through him. Mike again halted, but Jesse reached back around his hip to grab Mike's buttock, pulling him in. Mike pushed forward, breathing hard but silent while Jesse let out a long groan of pain and exertion, until they both felt Mike's cockhead break through into him. Jesse's groan turned into a cry, and his hand fell away. Mike gulped in another breath. "Shit, I don't believe it."

"Is - is it OK?" Jesse managed to ask.

Mike actually laughed a little. "OK?? Geez dude, it's amazing. I'm gonna push more now, OK?"

"You're not all the way in yet?" Jesse asked, letting his alarm show through.

"No - no dude, I'm like - hey I can stop I don't - "

"No, it - it's OK, I just didn't realize - shit this is gonna be - OK let me try a little, OK?" Jesse lifted himself up onto his knees and pushed himself back onto Mike, slowly, grunting and gasping the whole time, driving Mike's cock deeper into him. "That's all I can do," he finally whispered. "Is that all the way?"

"Almost," Mike said, his voice now tight as well. "You want me to do the rest?"

"OK."

So Mike took Jesse's hips in his hands and held them fast as he thrust forward, following Jesse down as he collapsed under the mingled pain and pleasure, and pushed every last inch of his cock into Jesse. They both cried out, Jesse shaking under Mike, lying flat on the towels. Mike instinctively lifted off him a little, lifted his hips up again, pulled out, then shoved back in again, slowly. Jesse made a high animal noise, his hands clutching at the towels beneath him, and pushed back against Mike.

They continued this slow movement for a few more seconds before Mike managed to whisper, "You OK?"

"Mike, Jesse groaned, "it's so big. Like - like a tree in me."

"Sh - should I - "

"No. Just do it. Please do it. Oh God, Mike." Jesse lifted his hips up higher, back onto Mike's cock. "Just fuck me."

And Mike did. He slowly began moving himself in and out of Jesse's tight ass, feeling the ring of muscle clench at him with each movement. His hands started running over Jesse's body beneath him. Jesse was on his elbows now, moving in time to Mike's thrusts and withdrawals. His groans were softer now, his head dropped between his arms, his shoulder heaving as he breathed. Mike wrapped one arm around Jesse's waist to hold him steady as he started quickening his pace, the incredible sensations around his cock slowly giving way to an even more intense feeling of possession. He grabbed Jesse's cock with his other hand and began to stroke it, feeling Jesse's responsive cry of pleasure through the body he held as much as he heard it.

Jesse felt every atom of every one of Mike's thrusts. They were like fire, like a great battering ram driving into and through him. He opened himself to it, the initial pain now disappearing and a raw desire for all of Mike to drive into him replacing it. Mike was stroking his cock now, even as he fucked him, and Jesse realized he was talking out loud, though he didn't know what he was saying because he couldn't hear himself over the sensations, the sensations of being taken and penetrated and fucked and his cock was screaming for release and when it came he made a long noise he knew was embarrassing and loud but he didn't care, and as he shuddered downward from the peak at last he felt Mike stiffen and drive into him one last time and pulse over and over, the tension seeming to drain out of his taut body and into Jesse through their connected flesh.

They lay panting on the towel, in the position where they collapsed, for several minutes. Neither spoke. Even had they been able to, neither knew what to say: what had just happened beggared words. Mike finally lifted his chest off Jesse's back, lowered his head, and kissed around Jesse's shoulder blades. Jesse groaned, his head turned a little towards Mike. Their eyes met over his shoulder, and they smiled quietly. Mike resumed kissing Jesse's back, and Jesse sighed.

"You OK?" Jesse finally mumbled into the towel.

"Yeah," Mike answered, barely pausing in his kissing. "I'm OK. You?"

Jesse lifted his head a bit, shaking the hair out of his eyes. "Fine," he said. "You're still hard."

Mike grunted a bit. "I wanna stay like this."

"Me too. Always."

Mike's hands began rubbing Jesse's back now, and he lifted further up off him. Jesse lay back, loving every second of it. "Did it hurt?"

Jesse lifted up a bit and shrugged. "Some." He moved his shoulder against Mike's hands and purred. "At first. But it was incredible too."

Mike giggled a little and pressed his face into the back of Jesse's neck. "Good." Jesse turned his head; Mike craned his neck around and kissed him. As they clambered around into an embrace, Mike slid out of Jesse. They both stopped to look. His cock was covered in slimy stuff of indeterminate origin. None of it looked too much like shit, though.

Jesse frowned a little. "Not too messy, is it?"

"Na. `S fine. I, um, I used a lot of Coppertone."

"So, what, my shit won't sunburn now?" Jesse started giggling helplessly, holding onto Mike for support, for the sake of it, for dear life.

"Hey, somebody has to do these jobs," Mike answered, giggling in his turn. Their faces slid into the crooks of each others' necks, and they grew quiet for a bit, drinking in each other's smell and the smell of their lovemaking, come and Coppertone and sweat and sea salt and saliva and Axe and, faintly, shit, mingled together unforgettably.

They moved onto their sides, lying on the large wet splotch of Jesse's come. "Jes?"

"Ya?"

"You're right - this changes everything. But it - it's a good change, y'know? I - I'm happy for it." He blinked, and Jesse realized with a start that Mike's eyes were watering. "This is - this is the best, like, thing, that ever happened, dude. Isn't it?"

Jesse nodded, smiling, and kissed Mike. "The best." He stretched his legs straight out, feeling them tremble. "But we're gonna kill ourselves if we do this all the time."

Mike laughed again. "I know. I'm like all achy inside."

You're achy??" Jesse retorted, and they laughed again. "I feel like I just had a fuckin' phone pole in me."

"You're OK though, right?" Mike asked, suddenly concerned.

"No no, I'm fine - I guess anyway," Jesse chuckled. "Dunno if I can walk anymore though."

"You wanna try?" Mike asked, still worried.

Jesse shook his head. "I'm joking, dude. Relax." He bounded up, feeling for the first time the tingling that emanated from his ass and flowed through his whole midsection. He found that in fact, standing did feel a little weird. He wanted to walk a bit bowlegged, and he wondered if semen was about to come leaking out of him.

Mike was beside him in an instant, taking his elbow as if he might faint. Jesse smiled at him. "I'm fine." They kissed again, and Jesse began to caress Mike's cock. It was slick and barely half hard. "Eeeewww," Jesse giggled, "we gotta clean you up." He grabbed Mike by the cock and pulled him toward the ocean.

"Dude, don't hurt it," Mike cried out, halfway between laughter and alarm. "It's been through too much already."

"Never," Jesse said in a mockingly deep voice, letting go and running giddily into the breakers. The water felt cold, clean, pure, as if he'd never been in the ocean before. He dove under a wave and felt it pulse over him, surfaced and looked skyward. Everything was clear deep blue now, the sun brilliant. Mike was walking calmly through the breakers towards him, washing his cock off in the water. The droplets sparkled on him, and Jesse imagined him for an instant bedecked in jewels, a fabulous gift just for him. He decided to get him off right there in the water.

But then he noticed a couple about 200 yards up the beach walking their way. He motioned quickly to Mike, and they scampered back to their towels and yanked on their boardshorts, plopping down in their chairs and looking as casual as they could. Jesse shoved his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose, the better to hide his guilty face.

The couple - older, probably in their 70s, grey and bent with their age - didn't look at them as they passed. They could both feel their hostility, though. They obviously hadn't been as discreet running out of the water as they'd hoped. They waited until the couple had passed out of sight on south before they looked at each other.

"Will they report us?"

"I don't know," Jesse answered. I mean it's not like people down this way don't go naked. It's not like a surprise."

"I guess." Mike didn't sound very reassured by that answer.

"You wanna book, in case?"

Mike shrugged. "Sort of. But I don't want to leave here either, y'know?"

Jesse smiled. "Ya. Me neither. Let's head now, maybe get some lunch and come back later." He raised one eyebrow. "I'm all done for now anyway I think."

"Christ I hope so," Mike answered, bounding to his feet.

As the boys packed up, Ernie did too, carefully slipping back towards the main path with camera in tow. I can get this into the RV before they make it up the hill, he thought, and have a little chat maybe.

Jesse and Mike walked back towards the path up the hill laughing and bumping each other, occasionally sneaking a kiss or grope after checking if the coast was clear. They chattered about everything and nothing, looking at each other with open longing and desire, but also with a deepened sense of togetherness. Is this being in love, Jesse wondered as he stared transfixed a Mike's red lips and perfect chin, not catching a word he said.

As they came out onto the road atop the bluff, Jesse heard his name. About 100 yards up the road, Ernie was sitting in a foldout chair under an RV awning. Jesse waved, a bit self consciously, and turned to get their bikes. But Ernie, it seemed, didn't get the hint.

"Hey Jesse, how are you today? C'mon down here a minute!"

"Who's THAT?" Mike asked, perplexed.

"Guy I met the other day on the beach," Jesse said, his face scrunching up a bit with embarrassment. "He saw me swimming naked. He seemed nice enough, but him watching me kinda had me creeped out."

"Let's just go then."

"We gotta go by him to get out of the park." Jesse sighed. "We can just say hi, be polite and shit."

"K. If he gets weird I'll pound his ass though."

Jesse smiled. "My hero."

"Fuck you too."

Jesse's smiled broadened. "Damn, did you ever." They both burst into uncontrollable giggles that lasted until they had their bikes loaded.

They pedaled easily up to Ernie's RV - a long newer model, with dark tinted windows. A generator was running; Jesse guessed that he kept it air conditioned inside. "Hi Ernie," he said evenly. "We're just heading out for a quesadilla or something."

Ernie nodded. "Yeah, I like Pedro's too - especially the fish tacos." He looked at Mike. "Hi, my name's Ernie, I met Jesse down on the beach yesterday." Mike nodded silently and shook the offered hand. "So what's been going on - you guys weren't surfing, that's obvious."

Jesse shook his head, trying to act casual. "Na, too small down here. Just hangin'."

Ernie nodded knowingly. Jesse had the impression he was eyeing their bodies behind his dark glasses. "Nice day to just hang. Sun finally broke out."

"Yeah. Now you can start enjoying it more." Jesse started to move away, but Ernie interrupted him.

"You guys coming back?"

"Ah -" Jesse looked at Mike a second, but Mike was looking straight at Ernie and didn't notice.

"Yeah, probably. This afternoon." Jesse was surprised that Mike had spoken.

"Excellent," Ernie smiled. If it gets too hot I've got lots of soda and things inside here - feel free to stop by."

"Right, OK. Well," Jesse said loudly to startle Mike out of whatever reverie he was in, "we gotta book. Later."

"Sure Jesse, of course. Glad to meet you, Mike."

"Yeah, no problem," Mike said softly, and they rode away.

Jesse waited until they were about a minute away from the RV before he turned to Mike. "You OK? You were sort of spacy there."

"Ya. I just felt like I know that guy from someplace. It was like spooky."

"Where?"

Mike laughed, turning his head to look at Jesse. "If I knew that I wouldn't be all spacy, would I?"

"OK, sorry. You just sort of zoned on me there."

"So who is he anyway?"

"You know as much as I do. I didn't even know he had an RV."

"Did he come on to you?"

"Not really. I mean it was obvious he'd like to, but he was cool about it."

Mike rode on in silence for a bit. "I think he's a little creepy."

Jesse shrugged. "Maybe, I dunno." He felt badly talking about Ernie like this when he'd been so nice before. "He was friendly enough. Polite and all."

They moved over to let an RV pass, riding now in single file, Jesse in the lead. "So what'd he say to you? On the beach and all."

Jesse thought a minute. "That he used to fool around with guys down there on the beach. He said doing it there was, um, fun, or something."

"So he's like stalking you or something?"

Jesse laughed, nervously. "I don't think so, I've only seen him twice."

"Yeah, seen him."

Jesse frowned as he rode over a speed bump. The impact on his butt made him tingle again, disrupting his train of thought for a moment. "Yeah - no, I mean - I really don't think he's been like spying on me or anything. He just seems like a nice guy."

Mike was silent for several seconds before he answered, "OK."

They stood up now on their bikes, digging up the hill to the Christianitos bridge, then across above the freeway and onto Camino Real. "Pedro's or Carl's?" Jesse called as they drew near the fast food place.

"Dude, Pedro's." The question itself seemed blasphemy.

"What if Ernie's waiting there for us?" Jesse laughed.

"I'll fucking scream."

"Like a girl? Yeah, you do stuff like a girl, all right."

Mike roared with laughter, then pulled up close to Jesse's bike to whisper, "Bad subject for you, dude. You're the one who got fucked." Jesse groaned, giggling and thinking how right he was - and how cool it was. They teased each other the rest of the way to Pedro's where, thankfully, Ernie was nowhere to be found.

Pedro's was its usual self on a summer, a motley collection of mostly beach guys - surfers, boarders hanging out. Many were shirtless, and Jesse found himself looking as if for the first time at their tanned, lean bodies. It's so cool, he thought, none of us has any body hair. Most of the guys wore boardshorts that rode low on their hips; Jesse worked hard not to stare openly, or to speculate too much on what was underneath.

They sat in the shade on the wall opposite the order window, waiting for their bean and cheese burritos. Their arms were slightly touching, enough for both to feel, but not enough for it to look odd. "Dudes!!" came a voice from their left. Erick Yarnall, a minor friend of theirs from school, vaulted over the wall by the drive-thru and sat next to them, pressed against Mike's left side. "Wazzup? Where ya been?"

Mike smiled, slapped Erick's palm, and shrugged. "Hangin' down San O."

"Good break?"

"Na, just hangin' this morning." Mike glanced at Jesse, unsure how much more to say. "You?"

"Rivvy," Erick answered. "Small stuff, nothing great, but it's a ride. You hittin' it this afternoon? Mike and Wes are down too, and a bunch of the girls."

Jesse looked past Mike at Erick's open, broad face, his streaked blonde hair tangled like only surfer kids' hair seems to get. His boardshorts barely rose above his hips and pubic hair, his skin was smooth and flawless. Mike had never realized how beautiful he was.

"Dude? You there??" Erick was looking at Jesse with an odd expression.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, I sorta phased out there a second."

"Ya, you were like staring at me, or this way or somethin'," Erick laughed. "Don't be goin' Brokeback on me Jes." He leaned back and laughed at his own joke.

Jesse blushed deeply, looking at Mike with panic in his eyes. But Mike simply answered, "No way, dude. No sheep."

The laughter grew, and Jesse found himself joining in it, though looking away from Erick all the while. So this was what it was going to be like . . .

They ate their burritos in silence, listening to Erick chatter away about peoples' rides that morning, what guys had the hots for what girls and vice versa, who had good weed if they were interested (neither Jesse nor Mike had any interest, but Erick always liked to bring it up to show how cool he was), where parties were going to be that weekend, on and on. Jesse kept his eyes down, knowing that if he looked at Mike he'd blush, or break into a smile he couldn't stop, or want to kiss him, or something. The mere touch of their knees under the table as they sat across from each other was enough to make him tumescent; he worried about how he could stand up and not be obvious. Mike, on the other hand, seemed interested in everything Erick had to say, though he spoke little except to add small exclamations of surprise or agreement to Erick's tales.

As usual, Erick was enjoying hearing himself talk, since his conversations usually came back to the subject of his own coolness. "So dudes," he finally said, leaning in conspiratorially, "I got two girls comin' over tomorrow morning to the garage" - Erick had turned his parents' separate garage into his own private shack and bedroom. "I'm gonna try to do a 3 way."

Jesse looked up and saw Erick's delighted leer. "Who the fuck is gonna do that with you?"

"Hanna, and Mackenzie from Junior Lifeguards a couple years back. Remember her? Even at 12 she had a rack."

"So they're OK doing this? They like know and all?" Mike asked, suspicious.

"Well," Erick shrugged, "they will be OK, I know it. It's too cool to pass up isn't it?"

Jesse resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. Erick's idiotic self regard had gotten him into trouble before with girls; he could only imagine how tomorrow morning was going to go. "Erick, don't be an idiot. mean, you think you're gonna just talk `em into -"

"Dude, how can they pass it up?"

"What, a chance to fuck the Almighty Erick?" Mike asked, smirking.

Erick giggled. "Some," he answered. "But the real thing is they get to make out together and everything. Y'know, the whole lesbo thing."

"Allison and Mackenzie are queer?" Jesse gasped. Then he realized what he'd said. "I - I mean, like gay, y'know . . ."

"You never seen how they look at each other and like put lotion on each others' backs and shit? Shit yeah, they're gay as it gets. Fuckin' lesbos, dude, and I'm gonna get me some of it. I mean fuck, all girls like that shit. Making out with each other and licking pussy and stuff."

Mike waved his hand in disgust. "Dude, do you like know this - any of this? You just like making it up cuz you're horny for `em?"

Erick took offense at this. "You'll see," he said, standing up. "I'm gonna have a fuckin' orgy, and you faggots'll still be wondering what pussy's like."

The term `faggots' made both Mike and Jesse tense up. Mike recovered first, snorting at Erick, "You're postal, dude. You got no clue."

Erick nodded at them with a superior air. "You'll see," he repeated before turning and leaving the same way he'd arrived, leaping over the wall and crossing the drive thru lane.

"He's fucking nuts," Jesse said, looking at Mike. "Can you imagine him having these two girls over and telling them he expects them to just drop trou and fuck him - and each other!!"

Mike shook his head. "He'll be lucky to have balls left after they get done with him. They'll rip `em off." He started giggling at the image of what was likely to happen. "I mean Mackenzie is a big girl - what is she, like 6 feet? He pulls this she'll beat the snot outta him."

"I hope so," Jesse snarled. He'd never realized before what an asshole Erick was. Had he ever sounded so ugly, so contemptuous of other people? Was he only seeing this now in Erick because of what had happened to him? And why had he still been so absorbed in his body, how his nipples had tiny pores around them sparkoing in the sun, the curve of his throat, the subtle muscling of his upper arm . . . He rubbed his face with his hand, sighing.

"You OK?"

"Ya. Maybe we should just blow everything off, catch a nap or something."

"Jes? What's up?"

Jesse shook his head. "He's such an asshole, but - " he leaned in close to Mike - "all I could think of there at first was how hot looking he was. Part of me like wanted to jump his bones right there." He felt ashamed to say this, as if he was already becoming slutty.

But Mike laughed and nodded. "Ya, I never saw that in him till today either. But that's why you're not jumpin' him, that's why you're here. With me. Because he is an asshole."Mike's smile broadened and softened, and Jesse had the feeling he was falling into his sparkling eyes and open face. He shook his head to keep things from getting too obvious and looked around nervously. Had anyone noticed? Mike just said, "Chill, Jes. It's all cool."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry. I just, uh -"

"I know. Me too." Mike's smile was irresistible, he had to kiss him. He couldn't. He stood up suddenly, shaking out his legs. "Jes?"

"Let's get the boards and hit Rivvy. Maybe we can watch Erick getting the snot kicked outta him, if he tells Allison or Mackenzie what he has in mind."

Mike laughed. "Does there have to be a reason for someone to kick the snot outta him?"

Jesse shrugged. "An excuse, at least."

They agreed to meet back at Mike's house in tren minutes. Jesse pumped hard up the hill to his house, smiling reflectively. Well, that was one hell of a morning . . .

To his surprise, his mother was at home. "Hi baby," she chirped, "I stopped by for the papers on the Crosswicks sale. You having a nice day? Did you eat something?"

"Uh - yeah Mom, no prob, I'm fine. Just getting the board, hitting Rivvy with Mike."

"Oh, he's back? That's nice. I know you missed him."

Jesse hesitated. What the hell did she mean by that?

His mother, however, ran on, heedless. "So are you two going to do a sleepover again? You usually do when one of you gets back from being away."

Jesse blinked a couple of times. Was it that obvious, even before they'd done anything? "I, uh, I hadn't talked to him about it." Then his brain kicked in. "Could we?"

His mother smiled, a gentle tolerant smile that always made him feel warm inside. "Of course, dear, it'd be wonderful. Do you want to do it here or at Mike's house? I can call Dolores and see what's up with her for the night - "

"No, it's OK, let me talk to Mike about it," Jesse interjected, unable to conceal his smile, hoping it didn't turn into a grin of utter lust. "We'll figure it out, OK?"

His mother smiled, nodded, and picked up her handbag. "That's fine, just let me know. You taking your phone to the beach?"

"Nah, don't want to lose it or anything. It's not like I'll be by it to answer it anyway."

"All right, just let me know - we can order from Pizza Port if you're up here." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You need to put more lotion on, Jesse. You look a bit burned."

"OK Mom, I got some with me in the bike bag."

"Use the 16 this afternoon - be careful, all right?" she called over her shoulder as she strode out to the garage. Tina, their Golden Retriever, barked at the sound of the automatic door as she always did.

"OK, Mom, OK!" Jesse called back, between exasperation and affection. Her naggings were always gentle, and somehow warming to him - they didn't bother him like it did some of his friends when their moms got on them. Or like it did when his dad went on a tear, either. He stayed in the kitchen a few extra minutes, eating some grapes idly, petting Tina, and enjoying the air conditioning. "Maybe we'll take you to the beach this weekend, Tina, huh?" Tina, who knew the word, "beach", straightened up to full attention at once and began whimpering. Jesse laughed and hugged the dog hard, burying his face into her soft fur. "Good girl, Tina. You're so good. It's all so good, isn't it."